Website: http://www.nsfgrfp.org/
For More Information Contact: National Scholarships Office – nsfgrfp@umd.edu
Who Can Apply: US Citizens, Permanent Residents – Graduating Seniors, Recent Grads, Graduate Students (who have not yet completed the first term of their second year of graduate study)
Description: The purpose of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to ensure the vitality of the scientific and technological workforce in the United States and to reinforce its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in the relevant science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees. NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.
Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics supported by the National Science Foundation (See NSF Fields of Study List).
NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are intended for individuals beginning in the early stages of their graduate study. Applicants may pursue graduate study at an institution in the United States or affiliate with a foreign institution. Prospective Fellows are responsible for all logistical arrangements required for affiliation with the foreign institution, including handling living arrangements and securing any necessary passports or visas.
Program Preferences: The Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports a comprehensive holistic plan for graduate education and takes into account the individual interests and competencies of the Fellows. Thus, an applicant must provide a detailed profile of his or her relevant educational and research experiences and plans for graduate education in such a way as to demonstrate the potential to become an emerging knowledge expert in STEM disciplines.
Award Amount: NSF Fellows in the United States will receive a cost of education allowance for tuition and fees. (For Fellows Abroad, all tuition and assessed fees will be reimbursed to the Fellow up to a maximum of $12,000 per tenure year.) The Graduate Research Fellowship stipend currently is $34,000 for a 12-month tenure period, prorated monthly for shorter periods as approved by NSF.
Duration: All awards will be for a maximum of three years usable over a five-year period.
National Deadlines: Due 5:00 p.m. local time, as determined by the applicant’s mailing address:
October 18, 2021: Life Sciences
October 19, 2021: Computer/Information Science/Computer Engineering, Materials Research, Psychology, Social Sciences, STEM Education and Learning
October 21, 2021: Engineering
October 22, 2021: Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy
October 29, 2021: Three reference letters for all fields of study. Must be received by 5 p.m. ET
